1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital data storage, and more particularly, to a hard disk drive for use in a mobile device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A hard disk drive provides digital data storage on a magnetic media that is accessed using a flying head that precisely floats over the media. Use of a hard disk drive in a hand-held portable device is generally problematic because the device may be subjected to fairly high shock levels. A shock delivered to the disk drive may. cause the head to contact or xe2x80x9cslapxe2x80x9d the disk media surface or cause the head to move off track and damage adjacent track data during a write operation.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a relatively rugged disk drive for use in a mobile device. The present invention satisfies these needs.
The present invention may be embodied in a disk drive for use in a mobile device. The mobile device includes a host processor that accesses data on the disk drive. The disk drive has a rotating disk media surface and a moveable read/write head disposed over the disk media surface. The disk media surface is divisible into zones that are radially disposed in discrete areas of the disk media and each zone having a plurality of tracks for storing data. The disk drive includes a first data storage zone on the disk media surface for storing data using a first track pitch, and a second data storage zone on the disk media surface for storing data using a second data track pitch such that the disk media surface is common to the first data storage zone and the second data storage zone. The first data track pitch of the first data storage zone is substantially wider than the second data track pitch of the second data storage zone.
In more detailed features of the invention, a track-to-track spacing of the first track pitch. may be about two times wider than a track-to-track spacing of the second track pitch. Alternatively, the track-to-track spacing of the first track pitch is about 30 percent wider than the track-to-track spacing of the second track pitch.
In other more detailed features of the invention, the first data storage zone may include a. mobile-safe zone and the second data storage zone may include a mobile-normal zone. The mobile device may access the mobile-normal zone and the mobile safe zone when the mobile device is in a mobile environment or when the mobile device is in a non-mobile environment. The mobile device is in a non-mobile environment when the mobile device is placed in a docking station and the mobile device is in a mobile environment when the mobile device is not placed in the docking station. The disk drive may include a ramp for parking an actuator arm coupled to the read/write head when the disk drive is in a spin-down mode, and the disk drive may include a mobile-low-power data storage zone that is located on the disk media surface so that an actuator current is minimized for moving the read/write head to a data track in the mobile-low-power zone upon loading of the read/write head over the disk media surface from the ramp. A distance from an outer diameter of the disk media surface to the mobile-low-power zone may be between about 10 and 15 percent of a distance between the outer diameter and an inner diameter of the disk media surface